Improvement in dice-boxes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BOEHNER AND WILLIAM HINZE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN DICE-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,116, dated October 10, 1876; application tiled September 14, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOSEPH BOEHNEE and WILLIAM HINZE, both of Buffalo, Erie county, New York, have jointly invented cer- .tain new and useful Improvements on an Automatic'Dice-Box and Ball-Jumper and we do hereby declare that the following description of our said invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains .to make and use the same.

The object of our invention is, and it consists in, the production of an automatic dicebox and ball jumper, constructed and arranged in such manner that, by turning a crank in the proper direction, a suitable mo tor provided Within the stand of our dice-box shall be wound up, which motor, as soon as released, shall vibrate a table upon which the dice or balls are placed to shake them, while, as soon as said table comes to rest, the number of points thrown can be ascertained. Said table is also provided with a series of apertures, properly numbered, to operate in conjunction with one or more balls, substantially as hereinafter more fully set forth and described.

In the drawings heretofore mentioned, Figures l and 2 are longitudinal sectional elevations through our improved automatic dicebox and ball-jumper.

Like letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in both figures.

A is the case or stand, provided with a bot'- xtom; B, secured to said stand by a screw or similar means.

This stand -Inay be of any desirable design or configuration, and made of any suitable material, and ornamented according to choice.

Within this stand is arranged a clock-motor,

' consisting essentially of the sides O G', properly braced by studs D, the main windingshaft E; main spring or'springs F; wheel G, with the ratchet and click H; intermediate set of gearing I; and the pinion J, secured to the shaft J', to one extremity of which is fastcned the crank L, connected to the vertical shaft N by means of the connecting-rod O.

To the extremity of the shaft N is secured the table P, provided with a series of apertures, R. S are the dice, and T one or more balls, resting upon the table P. U is a glass globe, attached to a hinged band, V. X is a disk, provided with the handle Y, for Winding the springs F, and with a series of notches to serve as stops, as hereinafter to be referred to.

The operation of our device is as follows: The handle Y, being turned in the proper direction, Winds up the springs F until they are properly tensioned. Now the knob Z is depressed, which, liberating the disk X, sets the clock-work in motion, and this causes the table P to vibrate so violently as to considerably shake the dice S or the balls T. As soon as the knob Z is liberated, a spring, a, under the same causes it to move upward and the catch b to engage with the next notch in the ldisk X, thus arresting the motion of the clockwork and table, and thereby allowing the dice or balls to come to rest to count the points thrown.

The operation of the device can be continued until the force of the springs is nearly exhausted. If so, they can be tensioned again by turning the handle Y.

Our apparatus is especially designed to prevent cheating in throwing dice, and thereby to make the game a more or lessharmless one, and this object is attained by the dice or balls operating within the glass cover or globe U, and therefore out of the players reach, who might be disposed to substitute weighted dice, or exercise other tricks usually resorted to by professional gamblers.

To remove the dice or balls, the globe or cover is swung over, turning upon the hinge d on the band V.

It is obvious that any number of dice or balls can be used, and that the apertures R, into which the balls T settle when the table comes to rest, may be numbered to indicate points.

The device, when handsornely ornamented,

handle Y, knob Z, and the catch b, substantially in the manner and for the use and purpose described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have hereto set our hands and axed our seals in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOS. BOEHNER. L. S. WILLIAM HINZE. L. S.

Attest MICHAEL J. STARK, FRANK Hmscn. 

